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I'll laugh, it's the third time I've gotten to laughed over this. Mac die hards are so smug. They don't realize that the only reason they've been spared is that there are too few of them to matter to the malware/virus writers.

My life is slipping away
I'm aging every day
But even when I'm grey
I'll still be grey my way

That's the whole point, plus they typically have VERY long up-times thanks to being Linux stable. They're popular for serving malware for exactly the same reasons they're popular as servers. Properly set up they're also more secure than a Windows server, which means that if they DO manage to get one the competition will have a hard time taking it off them. Malware is big business. If there's a way they can compromise your server and you become a target, they'll find it and they'll exploit it.

Any system that allows arbitrary programs to run is capable of running malicious code. A botnet trojan doesn't even need root privileges just to run, because it just does all the same things that a user does. Opens network connections, connects to hosts etc.

They don't care to spoof the packet headers for trojan infected computers (it's no skin of their asses if innocent people get a visit from the cops), so they don't even need to use raw sockets. Just straight, high level network connections to send packets.

All the security, privilege separation, patching of exploits, expensive antivirus software in the world won't stop that, for running code is in the nature of general purpose operating systems. The exploits used are only methods of getting the code to run and they aren't the only ways. (Tricking people to click something usually works on a high enough percentage.)

This really has nothing to do with MacOS vs. Windows vs. anything else. It's just java code, loaded by javascript in a browser. If it's Mac specific, it would just be because it's precompiled code. If they used JIT it could be cross platform to load code bundled for any OS.

That's how the trojan that's popping up all those fake "delayed write failed" messages is getting on Windows machines right now too, through Java. ("HDD Smart" is what the program I'm seeing is called). Java needs upgrading, if it's installed.

(Tricking people to click something usually works on a high enough percentage.)

"Hello my name is <flip flip flip> Barrr-Ie in <flip flip> Mel-Born, and I am being calling from Windows Operratings System. We are having been notified that your computer is being virus infected. Please be going to the link I am telling you and installing the link on our very genuine page so we can be fixing your problem."

This really has nothing to do with MacOS vs. Windows vs. anything else. It's just java code, loaded by javascript in a browser. If it's Mac specific, it would just be because it's precompiled code. If they used JIT it could be cross platform to load code bundled for any OS.

Fair point Mr G but be that as it may, I think Apple may have acted irresponsibly in propogating the myth that OS X is not vulnerable to malware, here's an update on the ongoing saga where Apple appear to have made an about face, albeit quietly:

Apple have behaved like that ever since Jobs, The Eternal CEO, returned. No fault ever admitted or bug acknowledged, regardless of how true it may be, until the swell of public complaints and evidence they can't take down with DCMAs etc is just too big to deny.

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